


A brief story about time

by retikrit



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: M/M, Sauna, inappropriate use of the divine pulse, not actually depicted but implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:07:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23789833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/retikrit/pseuds/retikrit
Summary: There is no clock in the sauna for the simple reason that there is no need for one.Claude never thought he’d actually need one.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 64





	A brief story about time

**Author's Note:**

> ;D

The thing is, Claude is pretty sure he’s been doing good in classes recently.

It is far from unusual to catch glimpses of the professor running around the monastery, giving out advice to students or sometimes even gifts. But for a critical eye, it is more of a very subtle and yet obvious pattern: their beloved teacher is making sure the motivation of the students struggling the most never dips too low. What greater honor than sharing a meal with the best strategist that has probably ever lived?

To top it off, there is of course the infamous sauna invitation. A bright mind isn’t even needed to understand the professor only ever asks someone to come with him there if they’re doing really, really bad in classes.

But the harder Claude thinks about it – when there’s nothing left to think about – the more certain he grows that there might be other reasons.

Claude has been improving steadily, and faster than anyone in their dear golden deer house. The first time the professor pins him down with the invitation he readily accepts – he, just like everyone else, is exhausted after another eventful week and he leaves the schemes in the cloakroom to sit back and enjoy. Maybe that was a mistake, but he’s simply human and his body needed the break.

The second time around, he brings his brain into it. And surely, the professor is stealing glances his way that he definitely should have noticed earlier. Then comes in play the time factor. Because Claude has been diligently observing the professor – in an absolutely non-creepy way, of course – he knows how long exactly he takes to eat, what plants he particularly likes, his sleeping schedule, which books he borrows at the library and most importantly: how long his sauna visits last.

From ten to twenty minutes with a student, can get lower if the student in question comes from faerghus specifically. Alone however, Claude doesn’t have enough information to draw a conclusion. His safest bet goes for at least thirty minutes but it could easily be much more.

The second visit lasts approximately forty minutes. Forty sweaty minutes of silence. Needless to say, Claude has time to actually think about it.

Other reasons may include: the professor has a very strong resistance to heat and wishes to spend as much time as he can in the sauna. Something he most likely cannot achieve with most students. His sauna invitations to Claude were maybe never about improving Claude’s motivation, but simply his own.

All of that goes through Claude’s head when for the third time, the teacher comes to ask him blankly if he’d like to accompany him to the sauna. So the thing is, this isn’t about getting Claude to relax or improve faster.

That puts him in a relatively teasing mood. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want you to faint in there, we’ve all seen how dizzy you’ve been.”

Byleth doesn’t answer immediately. When he does, it’s with the same tone. “If I die you get to keep the sword of the creator.” He offers with his usual unsettling voice.

Claude is already sliding a bookmark and standing from his seat, easy smile on his lips. He humors the teacher. “It would be my word against everyone else. I don’t believe one second Rhea would let me even touch it, unless…” He pauses for dramatic effect, greedy for the way the professor’s eyes linger on him every time he talks. “Unless you were to leave a note, mentioning the exact words you just said.” He smirks, not hiding very well that he had thought about it. A little bit.

They start walking in direction of the sauna. Claude can’t see the teacher’s face very well but knows from his voice he’s still rather playful about the conversation. “You offer me poison, then have me write my last will and still not expect them to suspect an assassination?”

The wind carries Claude’s unconcealed laugh. “True, true! But come on, is there truly any hypothetical reality you would let that happen? You’re too smart to let me have my way with you.”

Byleth falls quiet at that. Claude wonders if he’s embarrassed by the phrasing – probably wrong choice of words – but he’s seen their dear teacher embarrassed, and it looks nothing like that.

The awkwardness has faded once they reach the sauna. “I will not faint.” Byleth challenges, soon followed by, “So don’t either.”

The meaning of the remark eludes him, and he fails to form a clever retort. His eyes drift to the bits of Byleth’s naked skin as they change, catching the sight of it as much as he can. Gods know there are little to no other occasions to indulge in that specific hobby of his.

Claude understands two things in the following hour. First, Byleth does indeed ask him to join him because Claude handles the heat much better than anyone else, and they can both stay there for long minutes turning into hours. Second, this is a competition.

It’s the seventh time that Claude has to watch Byleth stand up, march over to the burning stones, and with that annoying mocking smile on his lips ask, “Again?” Before inevitably pouring more water. Horribly, slowly the meaning of Byleth’s earlier words start to sink it.

When they came in, people were already enjoying the comforting heat. Most of them are gone now, and rightfully so. Newcomers barely have a look inside before turning oh their heels.

Claude’s pride gets in the way at first, but deep into the second hour he embraces the fact he is, actually, starting to feel a bit dizzy too. He tries to reassure himself by looking at Byleth, but it is as if their beloved teacher has turned into a statue. It all becomes a blur of sweat and unflinching wills.

Byleth would look at him, all innocent and ask, “Too hot?”. That’s how Claude knows. That he knows. It is one hundred percent certain he knows. It is getting too hot even for Claude.

But just as certainly, there is no way Claude is losing whatever this is. So he’d answer, “Nah, all good.”

There is no clock in the sauna for the simple reason there is no need for one. Claude never thought he’d need one, sauna or not. Among the many tricks his blessed childhood gave him the opportunity to learn, keeping a good track of time have been one of the most essential. It did not prepare him for using such skill half naked in a boiling room and stuck with the person he most desire love and respect from.

Somewhere at the end of the second hour, there is no one left but them. Around the same time, Byleth takes off the top of the sauna uniform, inadvertently showing off for the world to see – well, just Claude – his defined chest and battle scars. “I’m starting to feel a bit hot.” He offers, voice lazy. They regularly both wiped the forming sweat from their foreheads, but now Claude gets to see Byleth wiping the sweat directly from his torso, neck and arms.

He isn’t sure what this has all been about anymore. He sighs, the hot air bringing no relief to his throat. It’s true the clothes are now more than sticky, and if the professor can get away with forbidden nudity in common areas surely he’ll cover for Claude. He proceeds to take off the same parts of clothing. “I’ve heard tales of Aillel, but I don’t think it can get worse than this.”

Byleth’s laugh is so small Claude almost doesn’t catch it. But he turns to look, and indeed Byleth is smiling wistfully. And very much still half naked. His head turns to look at Claude, slowly, and stays there. They stare a little longer. Then Byleth squints, surprise written across his face.

He moves to get closer to Claude, stretches out his hand for his face and – well Claude expects him to hold it or something, but that never happens. “Your braid.” Byleth stares at it, cupped in his hand, then at Claude’s face. “I rarely see you without the earring.”

Claude knows, because he wears it as often as he can. He left it along with the hairpin in the cloakroom. A glance at his braid is enough to tell it’s been coming off. His breath is coming short, but he finds strength in himself to remain composed. “What, does it take so little to unsettle you Teach?”

Byleth shakes his head, pulls away the hand. What is unsettling on the other hand, is the intensity of his gaze during this minute.

Then, a flicker. Green eyes. The world turning upside down in complete and utter silence.

A second that seems to last minutes, where their breaths stop, everything stops.

Like the time snapping back in place, the body of the professor jerks backwards, he stumbles and falls to the ground.

Well, that was weird. Claude eagerly offers his hand to help him back up. “Teach! Don’t go dying on me, I really mean it!”

It’s harder to tell with the extreme heat and abundant sweat, but Claude swears something is embarrassing Byleth, enough to have him blush under any other circumstances. He accepts Claude’s help, their sweaty bodies once again way too close for comfort. Byleth’s hand is still clasping Claude’s long after the need is gone. “You’re right,” he starts – way too breathless for someone who just happened to fall - “You win.”

Claude doesn’t get to voice the million questions he has. Byleth puts an end to their shared torture, and leaves the sauna probably on his way to get changed. So Byleth did admit it was a competition, and that somehow Claude had won? It makes no sense, even less considering Byleth had the upper hand and went even as far as to tease Claude for his inability to handle the heat.

Maybe this is a victory, but it certainly doesn’t feel like one at all. Now all Claude wants is lay back in bed and not think about all the unsatisfied questions he has.

He’s sure his whole body will be steaming during the walk back.


End file.
